The world of collectible watches is an odd one. Sometimes, great watches – ones that are objectively wonderful and rare – languish well below retail price, even after they’re out of production. And then, one day, they pop! And their value sky-rockets. An example of this is the early F.P. Journe Tourbillons, which we called out in 2014 as seriously undervalued. We even did a Reference Points on them two years later, putting them alongside the most iconic watches in the world, and you could still get them for a relatively reasonable amount. And then, one day, things changed and they more than doubled in value. And we are currently living in a world where early Journe watches are immensely desirable and valuable. We suspect that trend will only continue with items like these coming for sale soon. Another watch that may, or may not, follow this path is the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 reference 101.026, better known as the steel Lange 1.
We have it on good authority that there are less than 30 stainless steel Lange 1 examples in the world. Maybe 20 out there, or maybe 25 – but we’re pretty sure it’s less than 30. And for a long time, they were rarely seen. An example would come to market about once a year at most, and when it did, it was a big deal. And it still is, except something interesting is happening: They’re coming to market more frequently now.